Tank-support.



No. 2797.334. PATENTED AUG. l5, 1905. P. P. STURDEVANT.

TANK SUPPORT. i APPLIOAMON HLBD 11017.11, 1904.

ANDREW u Gamm un, vnamrunwwwas` vnswmmw u c llbllfllllll STATES lJAYNli] P. S'lURDlC/ANT, (lll PA @SAlQ NEW JERSEY, ASSlfrNOl?. T0 Alt/llltl- @AN UAR & POUNDRY COMPANY, UF ST. LOUIS, MlSSOURl, A CQRPO- TANMMSUlDPFlT..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed November 1].l 1904. Serial No. 232,330.

i?) HH 1071/0112/ t ntrty concern.'

Be it known that l, PAYNE P. SrUnDnvAN'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Passaic, Passaic county, New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in 'lanli-Siumorts, of which the following is a full, clear, andv exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a sectional view through the center sills of a tank-car to which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the center sill and the crossbearer, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view 011 the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

This invention relates to tank-cars, and particularly to the tank-supports or crossbearers therefor, one of the objects thereof being to provide a light, durable, and strong cross-bearer capable of efficiently supporting the tank.

The center sill is illustrated as comprising channels l, the flanges of which extend outwardly. The cross-bearer is illustrated as comprising an arcuately-curved compression member in the form of a channel 2. The web of the channel is riveted to the top flanges of the eentersill channels, and the respective ends of said channels extend upwardly beyond the top of the center sill. The upwardly-disposed flanges 3 and 4 of the compression member 2 support the side plates 5, which are riveted to said flanges along their upper edges. These plates are provided with outwardly disposed lower edges 6, which are connected to a bottom cover-plate 7, which cover-plate is also riveted to the inwardly-disposed flanges S of the angles 9, which angles are fastened to the webs of the center-sill channels.

The plates 5 are flanged at their edges adjacent tlie webs of the channels, as at 9, and through these flanges and through the webs are rivets, which secure said plates 5 to the webs of the center-sill channels. The

ends of the plates near the center of the ear are comparatively deep, while those near the opposite end are comparatively shallow, so that the cross -bearer .involves a structure relatively deep at its central portion and relatively shallow toward its respective ends.

The free edges of the flanges 3 and el. and the upper edges of the plates 5 lie in substantially the same plane, so that the web of the compression member is lower than the edges of the side plates, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. The clips l1. are riveted to the ends of the cross bearer by rivets which project through the flanges of the compression member and the sides of the bolster. By the construction above described the weight of the tank is communicated te the center of the car or to the center sill, which is best adapted to resist the strains incident to the vibration of the car over the road-bed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured. by Letters Patent, is-

l. A tank-support comprising side plates having curved upper edges and straight lower edges, a compression member formed of a channel and curved to conform to the upper contours of the side plates, said compression member having upwardly-disposed flanges secured to said side plates, and said side plates having outwardly-disposed edges, and a bottom cover-plate secured to said edges; substantially as described.

2. A tank-support comprising side plates having curved upper edges and integral outwardly-turned lower edges, and a bottom coverplate secured to the integral outwardly-turned lower edges; substantially as described.

3. A cross-bearer for tankcars relatively deep at its middle portion and relatively shallow toward its ends, said cross-bearer comprising side plates, said plates having outwardly-bent edges forming flanges, and a bottom cover-plate connected to said flanges; substantially as described.

4. A tank-support comprising a channel compression member curved on the arc of a circle with its ends extending upwardly, sid e plates fastened to the flanges of the compression member, said side plates having curved upper edges, integral straight lower edges earried by the side plates, and a bottom coverplate secured to said straight edges; substantially as described.

5. The combination with a channel een ter sill, of a compression member, of a tank* support riveted to the upper flanges of the center sill, and side plates connected to the compression member and having outwardly turned end edges riveted to the webs of the` center sill, said side plates having outwardlyturned lower edges, and a bottom coverplate riveted to the outwardly-turned lower edges of the side plates l: substantially as described.

6. The combination with a oenter sill, of a tank-oar, of a compression member resting on top of the Center sill and Curved in an are of a oirole, said compression member having 

